Center

Cultural

ACtivities

Experience Japanese culture at its finest

with our traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and various other culture events

*Tea Room set up seasonally

Experience

Japanese 

Culture

Every Wednesday

1st Session     15:00 - 15:45

2nd Session      16:15 - 17:00 

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Each session is limited to 4 people

茶 道

 SA  DOU

Sadou is the Japanese traditional art of preparing and drinking tea, originally developed from China.

Although the main purpose is to enjoy tea, the etiquette, performance, utensils, and the style of tea room is unique to Japan; which is what also makes sadou an art form.

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The Nara Visitor Center & Inn welcomes you to take part in our authentic tea ceremony.

ONLY ¥2,000 Per Person

Children under 6 are free 

＊ Special Request for 6 or more people available, please see reservation form for details

An Important message from our Tea Masters

To help prevent the spread of Coronavirus, all tea ceremonies will be conducted in face masks. We kindly ask all participants to also wear face masks during the session.  Face masks can be provided to those who do not have one.

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We also ask participants to disinfectant their hands before entering the tea room.

Hand sanitizer is provided for your safety and convenience.

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Thank you for you cooperation.

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Learn from an experienced instructor about the history, preparation and etiquette of tea held in an authentic Japanese tea room.​

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Afterwards, you are welcome to make and sample a cup of tea for yourself, making this a very special experience that would be a shame to miss.For lovers of tea, or even for just for curiosities sake, come in and enjoy a cup!

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ONLINE TEA CEREMONY ​

For a limited time, we are offering a free online tea ceremony experience.  Please see our SNS or Booking Calendar for times and details.

Born and bred in Kobe, I now live in Nara. Kobe has Mt. Rokko in the north, so I enjoyed skiing and ice skating in winter. In the south, it has Seto Inland Sea, so since I was young I have had many opportunities to communicate with non-Japanese people coming to Kobe from the Kobe port by ship.

I love to communicate with people, I have always sought work associated with people. After graduating from Kobe University, I worked as an elementary school teacher in Kobe and after getting married I have lived in Nara, Osaka, Saitama among other places while working for a trading company for over 15 years.

Through these experiences, I have made many friends in Japan and abroad. Also I owe a lot to my mother-in-law, because she taught me how enjoyable it is to learn Japanese tea ceremony. Tea ceremony resonates with me as it draws together many aspects of Japanese culture and art, such as Shintoism, Zen Buddhism, flower arranging, Japanese cuisine, traditional clothes or kimono, Japanese gardens, pottery, tea utensils, Japanese calligraphy and so on.

I really look forward to sharing such aspects of Japanese culture with visitors from all over the world.

origami

free everyday

With detailed instructions on hundreds of objects, along with an array of papers to choose from, come in anytime and try some origami for free!

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Battle a difficult creation, or try your hand at something simple,

there's something for all ages and

levels of patience.

Best of all, if you get stuck, we're always on hand to assist you.

Beats moping around on a rainy day!

cosplay

free everyday

Traditional garb, yukatas, sumo suits, ninja outfits, and quite a few more

to choose from, feel free to come in and have bit of childish fun and dress up.

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Take a photo or ask our staff to take them for you, it makes for a great memento of your trip to Nara

In the age of 'the selfie,'

how could you not?

calligraphy

free everyday

Whether you have a steady hand or not, calligraphy is a fun way to express yourself. Come in and we'll do our best to show you your name in Japanese kanji, for you to then try to write out for yourself with a specialized calligraphy pen.

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Alternatively, there may be something else you might like to write, if so, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

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A great keepsake from your time in Nara.